In any type of warehouse, efficiency is the key to success on a daily basis. Whether it is a warehouse where workers fill orders from online shoppers each day or one that contains various supplies and equipment for a manufacturing facility, knowing how to make the area efficient in various ways can help improve customer service, make the workplace safer, and ultimately lead to greater profits for your company. If you are a warehouse manager who has been seeking out ways to create greater efficiency, here are four tips you should remember.
Simplify the Process
In the most efficient warehouses, simplicity often rules. For example, if yours is a warehouse where order fulfillment is the name of the game, it is best to place the most popular items in easily accessible areas. Doing so, speeds up order picking, resulting in greater customer satisfaction and easier workdays for your employees. A good way to simplify the process is by putting inventory into heavy-duty plastic storage bins. By using these bins, you can organize products and ensure that your employees know where everything is.
Use Voice-Enabled Technology
Becoming more and more useful in such warehouse operations as inventory management, shipping and receiving, and returns, voice-enabled technology is the wave of the future for warehouses everywhere. Requiring little training for your employees to be able to use properly, this technology can be adapted to large or small warehouses, improves inventory control, and speeds up order picking.
Create Incentive Pay for Employees
If you have analyzed your warehouse’s efficiency and decided it comes down to your employees getting their tasks done quicker or getting more work done each day, incentive pay may be the answer. Commonly used in warehouses that focus on picking and packing, incentive pay is often credited with being the single biggest way companies can get more work out of their employees. In many warehouses where this practice is initiated, productivity and efficiency can often improve.
Emphasize Continuous Improvement
Finally, creating a continuous improvement program and making it a major emphasis at your warehouse can be a game-changer in terms of efficiency. To get started with this, consider using various metrics that will allow you to see what’s working well, what needs to be improved, and how you can set objectives that will help with accountability. Once you get your plan in place, constantly review your warehouse practices and make changes here and there accordingly.
As you know, greater warehouse efficiency often leads to greater profits for your company. By getting serious about your warehouse’s efficiency and putting some or all of these tips into practice right away, you may see dramatically positive results.
Anica is a professional content and copywriter who graduated from the University of San Francisco. She loves dogs, the ocean, and anything outdoor-related. You can connect with Anica on Twitter @AnicaOaks.
